The present invention relates to a soldering device and a solder dispenser, and more particularly to a soldering device and solder dispenser for use in a partially or fully automated soldering apparatus.
Soldering devices generally comprise a source of heat which can be used to melt a strip or length of solder material by the application of the heat to the solder material in close proximity to a workpiece to be soldered. Fully or partially automated soldering apparatus is available in many different forms. Such apparatus has hitherto required a very complicated structure, such as that shown in DE-A-3913143, which is limited in application, or is heavy and expensive, or is not of an industrial strength suitable for use in industrial production. For example, it is known to provide an assembly comprising a heat supply device mechanically fixed or joined to a solder wire dispenser, whereby the entire assembly is moved up and down towards or away from the workpiece. The assembly may be moved up and down by a mechanical gear arrangement or by a pneumatic or an electrical motor drive, and the relatively large mass of the entire assembly must be moved up or down as required. Such an assembly requires considerable space in which to operate, so that two or more of these assemblies would not be able to work together simultaneously on a small workpiece.
Alternatively, it is known to provide separate transport systems to move the heat supply device and the solder wire dispenser independently with respect to the workpiece. Such an arrangement is often very delicate and does not have the required industrial strength for many applications. Furthermore, known devices work on the principle whereby the transport systems move the entire heat supply device or the entire solder wire dispenser relative to the workpiece.
With the advance of microcircuit technology, there is a growing demand for soldering devices which can operate satisfactorily on very closely spaced electronic components and therefore it has become increasingly important for a soldering device to have a small operating volume.